Computer expert turned author, Alan writes mysteries, children's stories and books about walking, as well as articles and poetry.

My mother and grandmother wrote articles and poetry, so it's no surprise that I took after them. My preferred area for fiction is the mystery, since I am an avid puzzle solver, but I have also done a number of long walks (the coast of California, Los Angeles to Denver, and the UK End-to-End from John O'Groats to Land's End) and write on walking as well. I live on a hilltop in Southern California with my wife.

Birth Place: Buffalo, NY

Accomplishments: Alan's Poem, "Librarian" has won the 2013 President's Award for the Torrance Shakespeare Poetry Contest; Alan's mystery, "Run into Trouble" has won a Silver Quill award from the American Authors Association and been named best Pacific West book by Reader Views. Alan's mystery, "Honeymoon for Three," has won 2 awards. It has received a Silver Quill Award from the American Authors Association and been named Best Mountain West Book by Reader Views. Alan's book, "Walking the World: Memories and Adventures," has been named "One of the Top 10 Walking Memoirs and Tales of Long Walks" by walking.about.com. His short story, "Hot Days, Cold Nights," appears in the Jeffery Deaver edited anthology, "A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime." It is available to read free here.

Books

Hit that Blot: A Carol Golden Novel by Alan CookCarol Golden gets a frantic call on the crisis hotline where she volunteers, and this leads her into the seamy world of tournament backgammon....

Forget to Remember: A Carol Golden Novel by Alan CookCarol Golden isn't her real name. She doesn't remember her real name or anything that happened before she was found in a Dumpster, naked and unconscious, on the beautiful Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California.
...

Run into Trouble by Alan CookWinner of 2009 Silver Quill award from the American Authors Association and named best Pacific West book by Reader Views.
Drake and Melody are one of 10 teams entered in a race along the coast of California for a prize of a million dollars--in 1969 during the Cold War.
But is the Cold War about to heat up?
Watch the video trailer here: (eBook)Kindle (eBook)
Nook (eBook) Smashwords (eBook)Amazon.comBarnes & Noble.comDownload from Kobo

Hotline to Murder by Alan Cook“I like the characters…as well as the Hotline for the setting. This is a great mystery.”
Tony Schmidt joins the Central Hotline in sunny Bonita Beach, California to improve his listening skills. Shahla Lawton joins the Hotline to fulfill a volunteering requirement for her high school. Neither one expects to get mixed up in a murder investigation.
But that is before Sh...

Honeymoon for Three by Alan CookWinner Silver Quill award from American Author's Association and Best Mountain West book from Readers Views. It is 1964, 10 years after Gary Blanchard’s high school adventures in The Hayloft. He and his love, Penny, are going on the trip of their lives, and, oh yes, they’re getting married along the way. What they don’t know is that they’re being stalked by Alfred, a high school classmate of Penny...

The Hayloft: a 1950s mystery by Alan CookBobby sox, slow dancing, bomb shelters—and murder. Within two weeks after starting his senior year of high school in the 1950s, Gary Blanchard finds himself kicked out of one school and attending another—the school where his cousin, Ralph, mysteriously died six months before. Ralph’s death was labeled an accident, but when Gary talks to people about it, he gets suspicious. Did Ralph fall from the...

Thirteen Diamonds by Alan CookRetired math professor Lillian Morgan gets suspicious when a fellow resident of her retirement community drops dead at the bridge table with an unbelievable hand of 13 diamonds....

Walking the World: Memories and Adventures by Alan CookNamed one of the Top 10 Walking Memoirs and Tales of Long Walks, by walking.about.com
“As Tolkien said, not all who wander are lost. Alan Cook is a walker who is always on the Road to Somewhere. (He) inspires us walkers to get moving on our own adventures. My chief reaction to the book is jealousy. I want to lace up my walking shoes and go exploring.”
—Wendy Bumgardner, Walking Guide at wa...

Short StoriesHoney's Murder by Alan CookWhen Sylvia's granddaughter asks her about an old notebook with newspaper clippings, it takes her back to her reporter days in the free-for-all sixties....Glow of Christmas--Matthew and Mason Mystery by Alan CookWhat if the glow of Christmas comes from your neighbor's house that's on fire?...Freedom Sneezes--Matthew and Mason Mystery by Alan CookWhat kinds of freedoms are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights? See quotations in my book, "Freedom's Light: Quotations from History's Champions of Freedom."...Antietam Adventure--Matthew and Mason Adventure by Alan CookMatthew and Mason trace the route of their ancestor at the Civil War battle of Antietam, not knowing that they will be called upon to save his regiment from disaster....Echo's Story--Matthew and Mason Adventure by Alan CookEcho tells what happened between her, Zeus, Hera and Narcissus. See also "Echo and Narcissus" under Poetry....Dam, The--Matthew and Mason Mystery by Alan CookM&M Mystery #3. When Mason's friend who has cerebral palsy disappears, Mason thinks he may have an idea as to what happened to her....Case of the Missing Presidents, The--Matthew and Mason Mystery by Alan CookM&M Mystery No. 1. When money disappears from the school cafeteria cash register, Mason discovers a clue and gets help from Matthew to solve the case....Secret of Nim--Matthew and Mason Mystery by Alan CookM&M Mystery No. 5. When Mason sees Sue Ellen disappear from the school yard, he and Matthew are off on the adventure of their lives, with a mathematical twist. (Appendix on winning at Nim at the end.)...Homerun--Matthew and Mason Mystery by Alan CookM&M Mystery No. 2. Matthew helps Tank Thompson get the baseball with which he set a homerun record, so when it disappears, Matthew feels obligated to help find it....Over the Cliff--Matthew and Mason Mystery by Alan CookM&M Mystery #4. Matthew discovers a boy clinging to the side of a cliff and learns that he was pushed....Cashbox--Matthew and Mason Mystery by Alan CookM&M Mystery No. 6. What would you do if you found a box full of money?...Schedule C by Alan CookAn IRS mystery....Little Willie Chews the Scenery by Alan CookLittle Willie poems were written long ago and tell about gruesome happenings. Does life imitate art here?...Hollywood's Burning by Alan CookIt's 1961 Los Angeles and people are dying by the ocean--and then there are the photographs and the fire. Although this is a work of fiction, the fire was real....Have a Nice Knife by Alan CookJamie Stern, cub reporter for the Palos Verdes Press, is lucky enough to be close by when billionaire Stephen Mack's body is discovered in his mansion. With the help of Arthur Brandon, the mystery wr...Red Dress by Alan CookWhen Priscilla looks for a fellow hedge fund trader who is missing, she finds out he may be the victim of a sex scam she is well familiar with....Freeway Exit by Alan CookOh, those Los Angeles freeways. What a way to go!...Moon Over Murder by Alan CookA teenage boy in the 1950s gets a dream summer job working in a restaurant beside a lake, owned by his aunt and uncle. It doesn't hurt that three pretty female cousins are waitresses and that they li...Hot Days, Cold Nights by Alan CookOriginally published in the Jeffery Deaver anthology, "A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime."...Good Woman, A by Alan CookJohn Webster doesn't think he's a stalker. He's just in love. But after he appears in court, strange things start to happen....Human Touch, A by Alan CookLet's hope the future isn't like this....Chemist and the Farmgirl, The by Alan CookTwo struggling graduate students meet at the University of Michigan during the depression.
For more on Gerhard and Lura, see "How My Parents Got Rich--And How You Can Too" in Articles....Murder in Lingerie by Alan CookAura isn't expecting any excitement during her shift working at an upscale department store, but......First Kiss by Alan CookWhen you're a junior in high school, everybody assumes that you've kissed a girl--even in the fifties....Compute This by Alan CookReturn with us now to those days of big computers in icy rooms with raised floors. But wait--something is terribly wrong......

PoetryBerlin Wall (1961-1989) by Alan CookWatch and listen to a Berlin Wall graffiti animated version by Reallusion on YouTube. Link below poem.
...Librarian by Alan CookWinner of the President's Award for the Torrance, California Shakespeare competition 2013...Limericks--Lady from France by Alan CookLimericks are 5 line poems, usually racy. Here are some about the lady from France....Minotaur, The by Alan CookFor a different take on life in ancient Crete, see my young adult beautifully illustrated book, "Dancing with Bulls."...Bull Leaper by Alan CookAlso see my young adult beautifully illustrated book, "Dancing with Bulls."...Witchcraft by Alan CookWho among us has not been under the spell of another?...Mermaid by Alan CookHaven't we all been seduced by an impossible vision?...Poet's Lament by Alan CookThere are more poets in the world than there are people who read poetry. What can we do about it?...Amy Anne Diane by Alan CookA poem about my ancestor....Clarence High School Alma Mater by Alan CookI wrote the alma mater for my high school in 1951. Entered and won a contest for the words--got $10. Still the alma mater....Corporal Ed Lincoln, 23rd New York by Alan CookMy great grandfather, Lansing Edgar Lincoln (1842-1916), fought in the Civil War. Also see my adventure story, "Antietam Adventure."...Can-Can by Alan CookI first saw Can-Can on Broadway with the original cast, including Gwen Verdon and Lilo (whew!). Saw a revival recently in which we were asked to make up our own lyrics. Here are mine....Eyeful by Alan CookThe 2 sections of this poem are based on actual media reports. One I believe was the subject of a letter to Ann Landers....Olympians, The by Alan CookA salute to the athletes who particpate in the Olympic Games...Hugs by Alan CookThis is the hugging generation. Enjoy!...Echo and Narcissus by Alan CookThe Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus. For Echo's side of the story, see also, "Echo's Story" under Stories....Holy Summer Day by Alan CookWatch out for those trainee priests!...Old Codger by Alan CookWe all grow older, but we don't have to grow older gracefully....Risk by Alan Cook

Freedom Goes Softly by Alan CookLike the frog in the pot of water slowly being heated, we may not realize what's going on until it's too late....Keep on Truckin' by Alan CookWritten before "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, but I think it expresses one of his themes quite nicely....Global Warming by Alan Cook